Nicetas Choniates: The Sack of Constantinople (1204)
The Sack of Constantinople was important for many reasons. First the crusaders wanted to conquer Constantinople so they could get the money. The first assault was on July1 1203, but the crusaders had a surprise by the Varangian guards which were sent by the emperors Alexius IV and Isaac II to stop the crusades. The emperor was scared so he and his family fled. The document, The The Sack of Constantinople by Nicetas Choniates was written in 1204. He explained what happened during the fight, and how the church was torn apart by committing unchristian deeds. The Sack of Constantinople was about how in the Fourth Crusade the crusaders invaded Constantinople and ravaged the city sparring no man woman or child. The Fourth Crusade started in 1198 by Pope Innocent III because he wanted to reclaim the Holy Land from the infidels of Egypt and Palestine. This was an abysmal time to start a crusade for Europe though. Europe at this time was engrossed in power struggles and war; no one had any money to spend on a crusade. Constantinople was a place for fighting. In the article The Sack of Constantinople it stated “manifestly indeed, Christ was robbed and insulted and his garments were divided by lot, only one thing was lacking, his side, and pierced by a spear, should pour rivers of divine blood on the ground” (Choniates1).This quote supported the idea that the church was torn apart by unchristian deeds being played by the people disrespecting Christ. They were supposed to honor him as a Christian. Also another quote from the document ofThe Sack of Constantinople was “Alas, the relics of the holy martyrs were thrown into unclean places then were sent what one shudders to hear, namely, the divine body, and blood of Christ was spilled upon the ground or thrown about”(Choniates1). This fact supported the idea that the church was torn apart by unchristian deeds by the people taking what was the holiest object to the church and the object that the Christians had praised were being disrespecting and were abusing abused. Soldiers ended up selling their possessions for the funds they needed and even then they barely had enough to get by. The Venetians were supposed to help them on their way, but Enrico Dandolo Doge of Venice had other plans. Dandolo told them they had to pay for all the supplies and transportation they needed out of Venice, a total cost of 94,000 marks. The crusaders unable to pay struck a deal with Dandolo and though hesitant agreed to help the Venetians attack the Christian city of Zara, who the Venetians had been trying to conquer for a while at the time. If they were successful Venice would postpone the debt until “God permitted them” to pay. The crusaders conquered Zara but still did not have any funds and could barely afford food. At this time the Commander of the crusaders, Boniface Montferrat, was with Phillip of Swabia and deliberated Constantinople. Phillips interest stemmed from the fact his wife Irene Angelina was daughter of the recently overthrown Emperor of Constantinople, Isaac II, who wanted his son Alexius Angelus IV to rule Constantinople. Alexius IV was also offering 200,000 marks to whomever helped him attain the throne. Along this Venice also wanted Constantinople to fall due to Constantinople being the only city standing in Venice’s way of conquering the trade routes of the Mediterranean. All eyes were looking to Constantinople with mounting pressure being pushed onto the backs of the crusaders who were already miserable with their predicament. Pressured and bankrupt the crusaders were clouded in greed and corruption and turned to Constantinople in a state of barbarism, their original mission the furthest thing from their minds. The crusaders only thought of self-pleasure and from that thought bore down on the city like animals. “But with one consent all the most heinous sins and crimes were committed by all with equal zeal” (
¶ 4 Line 3). Every person within the crusaders went through the city performing horrible acts against not only other Christians but also God. Violating even the Hagia Sophia, “For the sacred alter… was broken into bits and distributed among the soldiers” (
¶ 2 Line 2). Constantinople not only being a means to end their massive debt but a collective outburst of the heavily pressured soldiers. Once they entered the city they were nothing more than barbarians plundering Constantinople for its wealth. Taking from not only the rich but the poor, ripping apart churches all over the city for any amount of wealth. “No one was without a share in the grief… All places everywhere were filled full of all kinds of crime” (
¶ 6 Lines 1 and 5). The crusaders did not just kill any soldiers protecting Constantinople they also ravaged the civilian population murdering innocents and raping women devoted to God. Loved ones were separated and the crusader mob destroyed everything they touched. The crusaders could not be talked down and “often they drew daggers against any one ivho opposed them” (¶ 5 Line 3). The crusaders by that point had turned into nothing more than animals who none could oppose without fear of death or mutilation. Nicetas Choniates claimed the only thing missing from this travesty against Christ; “that His side, pierced bv a spear, should pour rivers of divine blood on the ground” (¶ 1 Line 5). In conclusion, the crusaders who were heavily pressured from all sides took out their aggression on Constantinople. The debt that the crusaders needed to pay to Venice and the pressure from not only Dandolo but their own commanding officer to attack the Christian city putting a stopper on the guilt they would feel. The soldiers who were living with barely the means to get by for so long took out the rage they felt at the situation onto the people of Constantinople. Murdering innocents, mutilating and destroying Christian relics, and ripping apart families through rape and captivity, the crusaders tore through the city thinking only of their own pleasure and self-gain not of any lives they were destroying or of their original mission of saving the Holy Land. With this lack of thought they were nothing more than animals walking in the land of man.
Citation: "Medieval Sourcebook: Nicetas Choniates: The Sack of Constantinople (1204)." Internet History Sourcebooks Project. Web. 09 May 2016.
The Sack of Constantinople was important for many reasons. First the crusaders wanted to conquer
Constantinople so they could get the money. The first assault was on July1 1203, but the crusaders had a surprise by the Varangian guards which were sent by the emperors Alexius IV and Isaac II to stop the crusades. The emperor was scared so he and his family fled. The document, The The Sack of Constantinople by Nicetas Choniates was written in 1204. He explained what happened during the fight, and how the church was torn apart by committing unchristian deeds.
The Sack of Constantinople was about how in the Fourth Crusade the crusaders invaded Constantinople and ravaged the city sparring no man woman or child. The Fourth Crusade started in 1198 by Pope Innocent III because he wanted to reclaim the Holy Land from the infidels of Egypt and Palestine. This was an abysmal time to start a crusade for Europe though. Europe at this time was engrossed in power struggles and war; no one had any money to spend on a crusade.
Constantinople was a place for fighting. In the article The Sack of Constantinople it stated “manifestly indeed, Christ was robbed and insulted and his garments were divided by lot, only one thing was lacking, his side, and pierced by a spear, should pour rivers of divine blood on the ground” (Choniates1).This quote supported the idea that the church was torn apart by unchristian deeds being played by the people disrespecting Christ. They were supposed to honor him as a Christian. Also another quote from the document ofThe Sack of Constantinople was “Alas, the relics of the holy martyrs were thrown into unclean places then were sent what one shudders to hear, namely, the divine body, and blood of Christ was spilled upon the ground or thrown about”(Choniates1). This fact supported the idea that the church was torn apart by unchristian deeds by the people taking what was the holiest object to the church and the object that the Christians had praised were being disrespecting and were abusing abused.
Soldiers ended up selling their possessions for the funds they needed and even then they barely had enough to get by. The Venetians were supposed to help them on their way, but Enrico Dandolo Doge of Venice had other plans. Dandolo told them they had to pay for all the supplies and transportation they needed out of Venice, a total cost of 94,000 marks. The crusaders unable to pay struck a deal with Dandolo and though hesitant agreed to help the Venetians attack the Christian city of Zara, who the Venetians had been trying to conquer for a while at the time. If they were successful Venice would postpone the debt until “God permitted them” to pay. The crusaders conquered Zara but still did not have any funds and could barely afford food.
“But with one consent all the most heinous sins and crimes were committed by all with equal zeal” (
¶ 4 Line 3). Every person within the crusaders went through the city performing horrible acts against not only other Christians but also God. Violating even the Hagia Sophia, “For the sacred alter… was broken into bits and distributed among the soldiers” (
¶ 2 Line 2). Constantinople not only being a means to end their massive debt but a collective outburst of the heavily pressured soldiers. Once they entered the city they were nothing more than barbarians plundering Constantinople for its wealth. Taking from not only the rich but the poor, ripping apart churches all over the city for any amount of wealth.
“No one was without a share in the grief… All places everywhere were filled full of all kinds of crime” (
¶ 6 Lines 1 and 5). The crusaders did not just kill any soldiers protecting Constantinople they also ravaged the civilian population murdering innocents and raping women devoted to God. Loved ones were separated and the crusader mob destroyed everything they touched. The crusaders could not be talked down and “often they drew daggers against any one ivho opposed them” (¶ 5 Line 3). The crusaders by that point had turned into nothing more than animals who none could oppose without fear of death or mutilation. Nicetas Choniates claimed the only thing missing from this travesty against Christ; “that His side, pierced bv a spear, should pour rivers of divine blood on the ground” (¶ 1 Line 5).
In conclusion, the crusaders who were heavily pressured from all sides took out their aggression on Constantinople. The debt that the crusaders needed to pay to Venice and the pressure from not only Dandolo but their own commanding officer to attack the Christian city putting a stopper on the guilt they would feel. The soldiers who were living with barely the means to get by for so long took out the rage they felt at the situation onto the people of Constantinople. Murdering innocents, mutilating and destroying Christian relics, and ripping apart families through rape and captivity, the crusaders tore through the city thinking only of their own pleasure and self-gain not of any lives they were destroying or of their original mission of saving the Holy Land. With this lack of thought they were nothing more than animals walking in the land of man.
Citation:
"Medieval Sourcebook: Nicetas Choniates: The Sack of Constantinople (1204)." Internet History Sourcebooks Project. Web. 09 May 2016.
Author:
Kelsey Jones , Anthony Dellacorino